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Crystal's Blog

Our trip has been fantastic, but there's been a part of me that could hardly wait to go home. Peru has been my turning point. I can hardly wait to go back! We are moving on to Spain and Europe in a couple of days, but if it weren't for the kids I would stay in Latin America. My Spanish is improving enough that I no longer feel dependent on Ivo. Most of all I love the heart of Latin America. Peru has captured me the most!

Cusco

I fell in love immediately with Peru. I don't know if it is from reading Paddington Bear books when I was a kid (he's from darkest Peru) or the Peruvian Dark coffee from Santa Cruz Coffee Roasters I've been drinking all these years, but it was immediate.

Cusco is a beautiful city at nearly 11,000 feet. It was the Incan capital, and I can see why they chose this place. There is something indescribable about the energy here. Legend has it that the first inca (king), Manco Capac, was ordered by the ancestral sun god Inti to find the place where he could plunge a golden rod into the earth until it disappeared. This spot would be deemed the navel of the earth (qosq'o in Quechua language.). Cusco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas.

Plaza de Armas, Cusco

We arrived in Cusco from Bogota (altitude 8675 feet), so luckily we weren't coming from sea level. We still wanted to do our best to acclimate since during our trek we would be hiking much higher. The people at our hotel were very sweet and recommended that we take it easy our first day and eat lightly, quinoa soup and coca tea. Easy to do, I find both to be delicious!

Quinoa soup and coca tea

I had heard that Peruvian food was delicious and it is certainly true. The food was terrific, and healthy, too! I didn't have a bad meal until our stopover in Lima on the way out (not terrible, but not what I had come to expect. I found a great cookbook, The Art of Peruvian Cooking, so I will be inspired when I get home!

Baby alpaca

Neither Carolina or Sean really wanted to come to Peru. I haven't written yet about Ecuador, but while very rewarding, it wasn't easy and the kids were feeling done with Latin American traveling.

Both kids ended up loving it in the end. Carolina's turning point was the Quechua girls leading baby Llamas around Cusco, sometimes with baby goats in arms. For a sole or two, they would take a picture with you. Sean's turning point was our day trip to the Pisaq ruins. We hiked around the ruins, then hiked for about two hours down to the town. Sean doesn't recognize it yet, but once he gets moving in nature, he is much happier.

Pisaq Ruins

We spent our second day in Cusco wandering around the city. We visited the Inca Museum and had lunch. Our third day, I arranged a day trip to the Pisaq ruins, about an hour from Cusco (yes, I arranged it all in Spanish!). Machu Picchu is the most well known of the archeological sites, but their are ruins everywhere! The only difference is that Machu Picchu wasn't discovered by the Spanish and pilfered for stones like the others.

Pisaq ruins from below.

We made the mistake of not getting a guide to explore the ruins, but all the same they were beautiful and incredible. Our hike back to town was longer than we expected. The wildflowers and mountains were beautiful and there weren't many people on the trail. Our other goal was to get the cobwebs out of our legs before our long trek to Machu Picchu.

End of the trail for us, or start of it if we were hiking up to the ruins.

Agricultural terraces

Another area of the ruins on the way down.

Agricultural terraces from above

The path within.

Qorikancha

Cusco the colonial city is built upon the foundation of Cusco the capital city of the Incan empire. The streets are still laid out the way they were more than 500 years ago. The energy is incredible, I can see why they chose this site for their capital. The streets are laid out to take advantage of the sun at the solstices.

The Spanish destroyed much of the city, then build their churches on top of the stones they could not move. The stones they could move, they did. By destroying the Inca's physical buildings, they hoped to destroy their religion. They had difficulty, though, because while they did have statues, gold and silver, these were not what they worshiped. Their spirituality was based on Mother Earth, Pachamama, Father Sun, Inti Tayta, Mother Moon, Mama Killa, The Spirit of the Mountains, Apu and other natural divinities. They believed that all things had a spirit worthy of great respect and veneration.

How would our world be different if the Spanish hadn't by luck come at the end of an Incan civil war. I will learn more when I read my big thick book, written by son of an Incan Princess in the 1600's, but looking back I see a culture that worshiped the earth and were able to feed all of their people.

Cusco from Qorikancha

Inside Qorikancha, the sun would have shone through all of the windows.

From below Qorikancha.

Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Our trip mates with Salkantay Mountain in the distance

Let me say that this trek is the highlight of our journey, possibly even the best trip I've done in my life! I felt magic and energy in Peru, I can't know for sure where it came from and I can hardly wait to come here again. I organized our trip to Peru in a very short amount of time. We were going to skip Peru because of time, money, and who knows why, but at the last minute I just had to come!

​I arranged a trip with Salkantay Trekking on an alternate route to Machu Picchu. It is much less crowded, cheaper, and easier to do at the last minute!

Carolina and Ivo hiking, Day 1

Our accommodations at Soraypampa

We left Cusco at 5am, driving 2 hours to a breakfast stop and two more hours to the beginning of our trek at Sayllpata (11,646 feet). We hiked 7km to our camp, Soraypampa (12,834 feet). We had a delicious lunch, a short nap, then some of us hiked to Humantay Lake, another thousand feet up and 7km round trip.

Humantay Mountain in the background.

Humantay Lake

Salkantay Trek - Day 2

Our offerings to Salkantay Apu

This day was billed as being the toughest, we climbed from 12, 834 feet to 15, 255 feet over 7km to Salkantay Pass, which took about three hours. This was followed by a two hour decent to our lunch spot. We then entered the cloud forest for the remaining 10km hike to our camp, a nice low elevation of 9022 feet.

Humantay Mountain

Salkantay Mountain

On the trail

We decided that we didn't need to torture the kids!

In our element

The Obregon Family at the pass

Salkantay and Humantay mountains are known as the sacred gods of the Incas.

We decided to give the kids the option of riding horses to the top of the pass. Twenty-two kilometers would be a long day for us, and we did want them to enjoy the experience. It was bad enough that they had to wake up at five every morning.

Lunch was another delicious affair. The cook and his assistant passed us with the food and our bags on horses and had lunch waiting for us. The kids had to hike down, their horses went back to the valley.

Some of us needed a short nap after lunch. Sean wasn't feeling so hot (maybe some altitude sickness, so we were able to arrange for him to go on the cook's horse to camp for the night. Normally, we can't even keep up with him.

Welcome to the jungle. We hiked into the upper part of the Amazon jungle and what's a rainforest without some rain. Oh, boy did it rain!

Salkantay Trek - Day 3

Our third day was filled with adventure. The rain that started on the last hour or so of our hike the night before continued for many hours quite hard. Our walk was along a road instead of the trail on the other side of the river. They don't even attempt the trail during the rainy season.

Not crossing here

Yes, this bridge was scary.

We considered crossing the road, but the stream crossing it was much deeper and faster moving than it looks in the picture. So we crossed this bridge, instead. I held my breath most of the way across and managed to step over the missing planks. One person at a time please!

Our previous night's camp from across the valley.

Cute chicken on a mission

Life got more interesting. A huge landslide happened overnight. By the time we got to it, the cooks had already schlepped all of our bags, tents, cooking supplies and food across the slide. We only had to get ourselves across. We all made it safely, we just had to get on with it. Ivo and the kids went with the cooks after the slide. I felt a little safer on my own two feet.

Yes, there was a road under there.

Carolina getting a little help from our guide, Henry.

Yikes, my family's in that car.

At least there's passionfruit.

We only hiked about 15km to camp and it was enough. Not only did we have another delicious lunch, but we got to drive to a hot springs as well. The most scenic hot springs I've ever been to!

Sean's feeling better

Ahh, hot springs

The temperature was perfect, we soaked off and on for about three hours.

Salkantay Trek - Day 4

Our first view of Machu Picchu from across the valley. If you look really close, you can see some agricultural terraces in the saddle.

This was the last day of real trekking. Ivo and the kids went along with cooks for another hair road trip. We were lucky to have no rain the night before, as the climb would have been cancelled (too dangerous going down the other side.). Although, we climbed two thousand feet in about two and a half hours, this hike was much different than Salkantay Pass. At a starting elevation of 6500 feet, the air felt thick, both from humidity and increased oxygen. The first half hour we were passing homes and small coffee farms. Our guide, Sergio, greeted most of the inhabitants by name. They clearly love him as much as we did.

It was nice for me to have this time to myself, away from family, but as I'm writing this, I'm disappointed that the rest of the family didn't do this part. Not only was Ivo kind in letting me go, but he was also nursing some blisters he couldn't stop for on the second day in the rain. We also wanted the kids to be fresh for Machu Picchu. Incan ruins exploring requires a lot of climbing!​

Yes, I bought some beans and drank a sample.

Shade grown coffee!

Last spring, I read the book, Turn Right at Machu Picchu, then recently, I read the book, One River, by Wade Davis, which chronicles the botanical expeditions of Richard Schultz and later his protege, Tim Plowman, through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. As I walked up this trail, I was feeling a bit like I was walking in their shoes. An excitement coursed through me the past few days, as I was walking in the high Amazon rain forest. To think that all of these rivers find their way to the Amazon river is mind blowing.

View of the Santa Teresa valley

Can you feel my excitement, walking this path?

I had a feeling that our fearless leader, Sergio, was messing with our minds a little, as he refused to answer anyones question about how far to the top. We were all surprised when we reached the top, then descended a little to Llactapata Inca site, across from Machu Picchu. It is theorized that this site would have been used as a look out for Machu Picchu, a resting place for messengers, and a storage place for food. Did I mention their complex agricultural system and their surplus storage? This especially impresses me in this age where we seem incapable of feeding everyone in our country.

The top of the trail.

Amusing myself while waiting for the clouds to clear for our first view of Machu Picchu.

Llactapata ruins

The flowers were amazing!

The trail down the other side of the mountain was beautiful, but slippery and steep. I can see why we would have skipped it if it rained. It took us a couple of hours followed by about an hour along the road to Hydroelectric, a bit of a village formed around the 300 foot waterfall that supplies Cusco and many other places with electricity. I met up with the family for lunch, they had been waiting quite awhile. Then I skipped out on my group by taking the train the remaining 10km to Aquas Caliente. Sorry, but I only felt a little guilty about not walking that last bit along the railroad tracks!

Day 5 - Machu Picchu!

The day finally arrived! We thought our 5am wake up calls on the other mornings were early. This morning we woke at 3:15am to meet at the bus stop at 4:15am. We all decided to skip the two hour walk up the road to Machu Picchu in the dark. We were in line early enough to be on the first bus up at 5:30, the gates open to Machu Picchu at 6am.

Early morning card playing.

The bus ride to Machu Picchu.

I was a little worried that Machu Picchu wouldn't live up to my expectations. It definitely did! The site and the mountains surrounding it are amazing. Our guides, Sergio and Henry, were so knowledgeable and it was very helpful in trying to understand the history. No one really knows, it's all theories.

Machu Picchu with Huaynu Picchu in the background.

My fearless guide, Sergio and I.

The Sun Temple

The Sun Temple

The inside of the Sun Temple.

The architecture of Machu Picchu is very interesting. The archeologists still don't really know how the Incas accomplished what they did. Machu Picchu has many different building techniques. The mountain was the quarry and in many buildings such as above, the natural contours were followed. It is thought that there may have been other tribes there before the Incas. Our tour was about two and a half hours long, but really you could go and go.

Inca three windows

The agricultural terraces

We were lucky that the rain held off, by about ten there was a steady drizzle. We had planned to hike to the Sun Gate, up above Machu Picchu, where the Inca Trail comes in. Carolina wouldn't go, she couldn't see the point, as it was raining. Sean and I hiked up just the two of us. Ivo talked Carolina into walking to the Inca Bridge instead.

Sean on the way to the Sun Gate

Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate

The Inca Trail

The not very sunny Sun Gate

Sean and I at the Sun Gate

Wildflowers on the trail

We only stayed until the early afternoon because it was a bit cold and drizzly. I want to come back again, I'd like to climb Waynu Picchu since we didn't book early enough to get the special tickets. We took the train from Aquas Caliente back to Cusco that evening and flew back to Bogota the next day.

​I can't capture in words the energy and sacredness of this place. My heart is full when I think of Peru and I really can hardly wait to return for a much longer trip.

The moment you wonder, "What was I thinking?"

When school starts and your kids don't go back to school.

You get to Australia and realize your kids came with you. (just kidding, really I love them, but I can probably think of a few of you I might have brought with me that would have made it a different trip.

Realize that a trip is different than a vacation.

Realize that when all the guide books said Australia was expensive they really meant it. In other words, we're not quite staying on budget. Not even close.

Did I really pack this much stuff? I'm wearing the same few things most of the time. We will be in much cooler climates and it will be fancier in Colombia so some of it will come in handy, but I definitely am feeling like I (we) overdid it.

Things I miss about Santa Cruz

My friends, of course

New Leaf and the farmer's market

Kofi's yoga class and masters swimming

The fun parts...

Train to Kuranda

We took a two hour train ride to Kuranda. Once in Kuranda, we took a 5k jungle walk (lots of whining included), visited a butterfly sanctuary, a bird sanctuary and a koala, wallaby, kangaroo and crocodile center.

Sean cuddling a Koala

Carolina cuddling the Koala.

Our repetitive breakfast. Scrambled eggs, english muffins, and papaya. Our cottage in Yungaburra is very sweet. Life will get rougher when we trade our car in for a campervan on Monday.

Not too rough, though. The places I've reserved so far aren't going to be wilderness experiences.

Our departure date is exactly two months from now. Summer feels like it is going quickly and we have quite a bit planned from now to then.

We have our first tickets from to Cairns, Australia from LAX and our return flight from Auckland, New Zealand back to LAX. We are staying in Airbnb's for the first 12 days in Australia, then we will trade our rental car for a camper van and off we go.

We have sent off passports that needed to be renewed. We are trying out hiking boots and other hiking and camping gear. We are also researching more what we will do in Australia. We thought at first that we would go from Cairns and Atherton Tablelands to Daintree Rainforest and then head south again staying along the east coast. On further thought, Ivo has decided we should go further north and then West to Darwin and head south through Alice Springs, detour to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Uluru is that great big red rock in the center of the Australia) and down to Adelaide, then to Melbourne and try to head north again to Sydney. At some point, we'll fly over to New Zealand and spend the rest of our time hiking and camping there, possibly with another camper van. Then back to LAX and down to South America. It's crazy to have to come all the way back up, but it's faster and cheaper.

I'm doing a lot of research on South America. I'm getting excited about Machu Pichu and maybe other ruins that are still being excavated in Peru. We plan on spending time in the Patagonia region, maybe a month total. As a biology major in college, I'm hoping for Galapagos, but we'll see how the budget is going.

Other than that, we've got our normal daily chores and we're trying to declutter anything that we can, because it needs to be done and we want our house to be nice for our friends that will be staying here.